Heavendale
"Welcome to Heavendale: A City with Clouds!" Heavendale is the primary setting for the Critical Bits podcast. Despite apparently being one of the leading cities in America, it is an utter nightmare town to live in. So like most of America, really. Geography and Climate In the first episode, the city is described as being about 2-4 hours away from the ocean to its east. There is a mountain range to the west of town and a river running along the southeast end. There are also plains and valleys in unspecified locations surrounding the city. Because the city is so far away from the coast, it has absolutely no beach, despite what you may have heard. Heavendale is called "a city with clouds" because of the constant cloud cover overhead. Despite how that sounds, the city is never gloomy. The sky is described as always being "the perfect amount of overcast with sun." So every day is bright and beautiful but with a nice amount of shade. This was not always the case. The city used to be one of the most polluted in America and was regarded as a hellhole. About 15-ish years before the events of the podcast, cleanup efforts began and the cloud cover rolled in for the first time. No one in the general population knows why the clouds came or why they never left, but no one complains considering how nice out it always is. Economy Around the same time the cloud cover arrived in Heavendale, the economy also began picking up. Seemingly out of nowhere, money flowed in and helped establish new infrastructure, loads of jobs, improvements to the education system, and more. Again, no one seems to have questioned this up to now. One of the most notable aspects of Heavendale is the thriving presence of unique local businesses, especially in its restaurant scene. There are some chains such as Sonic (including locations on both the Narc Side and Non-Narc Side of town), but for the most part residents flock to unique establishments. Notable businesses mentioned in the show so far have been: * Wet Pins: A combination bowling alley and swimming pool. * Brunch Factory: A beloved brunch restaurant. Currently exploded. * The Pancake Hutch: A less beloved brunch restaurant. A little less exploded. * The Crêpe Escape: A World War II-themed crêpe restaurant. * Neutral Grounds: A coffee shop where the coffee is... fine. * The Screamery: A Halloween-themed ice cream parlour. * The Wind Beneath My Wings: A combination hot wings restaurant and indoor sky diving place. * Ramen Poodle: A restaurant with amazing ramen ruined only by all the poodle hair in the broth. * A Little Bird Told Me: A drive-thru ortolan restaurant. It's as horrifying as it sounds. * I Knead You: A bakery with extremely clingy employees. * A'Lure: A fancy fish restaurant where you fish for your dinner. * Cater Tots: We do not speak of Cater Tots. * Snake 'n' Shake: A restaurant serving up all of your favourite legless reptilians. Government and Institutions The local government is headed up by Mayor Jonah Jackson, a larger-than-life personality who loves to hold press conferences. These conferences pop up with such regularity that there is a whole "press conference district" known for holding them. In addition to his mayoral duties, Mayor Jackson also makes school visits on Spider Day to share the history of the town holiday with the next generation of children. Considering how these visits tend to end, it's a wonder anyone in town knows what Spider Day is. Institution-wise, Heavendale is said to have one of the leading school systems in the country. What gives it this distinction is... unclear to say the least, but for now let's just go with it. One of the system's flagship schools, Wallace H. Dale High, is the school of protagonists Alex Finch, Gerry Gingham, and Kim Bennett. In addition to other standard institutions such as law enforcement, Heavendale also has their own unique enforcement organization known as D.A.Y.C.A.R.E. In their current form, they exist to deal with "at risk and dangerous youth". This includes warm and fluffy-sounding efforts like outreach and support programs for local crime orphans and whatnot, but they also have an armed division that deals with policing teen crime. While they claim to be a force for good, there are many rumours around town that not everything they do is "above board" so to speak... History This section contains spoilers up to [[Episode 19: Link Up].] As mentioned above, Heavendale was a hellhole up to about 10-15 years before the start of the podcast. What most people either don't know or have forgotten is that the city used to be called Heaven Valley. While the city was not a great place to live, the good thing about it was that it served as a haven for superpowered people. in progress, feel free to add to this if it stays unfinished for too long. Category:Fun Bunch Saga Locations Category:Cities and Towns